Connection
by Caderyn
Summary: DannyAiden. Even without words, Danny and Aiden had a comfortable connection with each other. A series of silent, tiny moments between the pair: 1st at Central Park, 2nd late night at the office, 3rd in the crowded NY subway.
1. At Central Park

**Summary: Even without words, Danny and Aiden were still connecting and communicating. The pair enjoyed a rare break from work at Central Park.**

**Pairing: Danny/Aiden.**

**Disclaimer: The characters and all related paraphernalia of CSI:NY belong to Anthony Zuiker, Jerry Bruckheimer, and other dudes who create/produce CSI, as well as CBS. I praise them for their best creation in CSI:NY.**

**A/N: This fic was inspired by the hot dog I had two days ago, as well as by the last scene in "Creatures of the Night" when Danny and Aiden came in to the lab together and helped Stella.**

**Connection**

Danny and Aiden sat on a park bench in Central Park with nothing much to do.

Mac had earlier assigned the pair to a body that had been found in the area, while he and Stella tackled a B&E in Soho.

Danny and Aiden had promptly swept the area and were now waiting for the medical examiner to arrive and clear the body. Unfortunately, because the vic was discovered around midday, the ME-mobile soon became held up by terrible lunch hour traffic. While Detective Flack still had plenty of witnesses to question, the two CSIs had nothing much to do.

So they sat.

It was a conspicuous sight, really, two CSIs sitting with their great, big crime kits, not faraway from a police-taped scene. But New Yorkers, being accustomed to just about anything happening in their city, barely gave them a second glance.

It was not often, in their busy lives as New York's finest, that Danny and Aiden got a chance to just sit and do nothing. So they decided to simply enjoy this very rare break by quietly sitting. Danny extended one arm along the back of the bench and stretched his legs out, while Aiden crossed her legs in front of her and rested her elbow on the bench's backboard. Both were gazing at passing people and seemed to be thinking about nothing in particular.

Their several minutes of pleasant silence, however, was soon broken by the unmistakable sound of a rumbling stomach. Aiden glanced at her partner beside her and smirked. Danny looked at his watch and pointed it to her.

Lunch time.

Wordlessly, Aiden got up and Danny saw her made her way to a hotdog stand not far from where they were sitting.

After a few minutes, she came back with two hotdogs in her hands. Without a word, she handed one to Danny, who saw that she'd gotten him his favorite: one with lots of grilled onions, cheese, and ketchup. He smiled in gratitude and took a bite.

She returned his smile and tucked into her own dog. He saw that she'd also predictably gotten _her _favorite: a lone dog with more than a generous amount of ketchup and mustard.

They quietly munched for a couple of minutes, enjoying the pleasant New York weather.

Danny finished first because he always ate faster. He turned in Aiden's direction and tossed the ball of wrapper into the trash can beside her, grinning smugly at her as it smoothly sailed in. Aiden rolled her eyes and reached over to wipe ketchup off the corner of his mouth with her napkin. Obviously, he'd missed a spot. Smiling cheekily, she popped the last piece of bun and dog into her mouth, clearing her throat as she finished chewing.

At that, Danny wordlessly got up and walked over to another vendor. He came back with two bottles and handed one to Aiden. _Diet Coke_. Her favorite. Smiling gratefully, she saw him take a swig of his customary lemon soda and lazed back down the bench.

Hearing somewhat of a commotion behind them, the pair turned to see Detective Flack attempting to converse … with a mime. It appeared that the detective was trying to question the annoying street performer, but the latter seemed to not understand the importance of cooperating with the police and instead … well, did his thing. He pretended to freeze up in terror, with his hands up, and then began running animatedly on the spot. Flack looked about ready to deck the moron. Danny and Aiden glanced at each other and cracked up laughing.

After a few minutes, they saw the ME people finally arriving on the scene. They appeared really flushed and irritated.

Danny and Aiden grinned at each other and got up. They gathered up their kits, tossed their empty drink bottles to the garbage can, and strolled to their crime scene.

Work was back.

**A/N: I've always felt that D/A have an amazing chemistry with and understanding of each other. I want to show how they convey this by this very simple dialogue-free scene. What do you think? I have an idea on how to continue this, but we'll just see how it goes.**

**A/N2: Being currently overburdened by upcoming essays, I long for a chance to just sit and do nothing. It does feel VERY GOOD to be able to just take a break and go to a park. So yeah, for all of you going insane with work, take a moment and - at the risk of sounding cliche - smell the roses. Try not to litter though ;-)  
**


	2. Late Night at the Office

**Summary: Even without words, Danny and Aiden could still communicate. Danny had his spirits lifted by Aiden one night as he was working late.**

**Pairing: Danny/Aiden.**

**Disclaimer: CBS and the creators/producers of CSI still own CSI:NY and all related characters/settings. All I have is the concept.**

**A/N: This second part is not related to the first chapter (ie. They are not working on the same case). You can read them as two stand-alones.**

Danny sat in the one of the offices and sighed. After three nights of barely sleeping, he had finally cracked his case today. He wanted nothing but to go home and sleep, but since he hadn't written his final report, he was forced to stay in late yet again.

Eyes blurring, he pushed his glasses up with one hand and pinched the bridge of his nose with the other, closing his eyes and enjoying a few minutes of serene darkness.

He heard the door opening and felt someone walking up to stand behind his chair.

He opened his eyes to see a mug of steaming coffee on the desk in front of him and craned his head to see Aiden grinning down at him.

Smiling gratefully, Danny took a sip of the warm liquid, taking care not to burn his tongue. He felt even more appreciative of her when he realized that Aiden had made his coffee _exactly_ how he liked it: strong black, two sugars, no cream.

He met her eyes again and squeezed her arm lightly to convey his thanks.

Aiden nodded her head and leaned forward to look at his case notes, resting one hand on the table and one hand on the back of his chair. She made sure not to shuffle the papers too much, knowing that Danny probably had a system.

She glanced at him from the corner of her eyes. The deep bags under his eyes and the five o'clock shadow were proofs of his dedication to this case. She saw him taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes with both palms.

Aiden sighed and reached over to stop him from savaging his eyes. Danny looked at her questioningly as she straightened up and took her place behind his chair. Wordlessly, she placed her hands on his shoulders and started giving him a little massage.

Danny closed his eyes as Aiden kneaded her hands through the tense muscles on his back. Neither of them said a word as her fingers rubbed tiny circles up and down the back of his neck, finally making their way back to his shoulders. Relaxing a great deal, Danny leaned his head back, resting it against Aiden's stomach.

After a few minutes, he tilted his head up to look at her and gave her his most genuinely grateful smile. Aiden smirked back at him, stilling her kneading fingers as Danny placed one hand over hers.

With a grin, Danny broke the moment by giving her hand a little pat and leaning back forward onto the desk, putting his glasses on and picking up his pen to signal that he was ready to go back to work.

Mirroring his action, Aiden gave his shoulders a little pat before removing her hands. As she was leaving though, she brought a hand back to his head and casually tousled his-already messy blonde hair. Lightly chuckling, Danny turned to see her waved from over her shoulder.

He returned the gesture and found himself watching her departing figure absolutely longer than he should've had.

Snapping back, he turned his concentration back to the paperwork in front of him and started writing.

**A/N: Thank you so much for all your lovely reviews. 'Good to know you enjoyed the Flack scene; I added it just at the last minute. Well, this one is not as funny as the first chapter. I hope you don't find this dialogue-less scene tiring and my descriptions too meticulous. And to AshCarroll, I actually marvel at people who can write quick, witty, true-to-character D/A banters because they are just so difficult for me!**

**A/N2: I forgot to mention it in the previous chapter, but I wrote this in response to all those who say that D/A is NON-romantic (even 'sibling-like') because they see a lack of tension between them. Well, I just want to say that I actually LOVE the fact that they're so comfortable with each other! Have you ever heard the saying that 'you know you love someone when you can be in a comfortable silence with them'? Well that's the basic inspiration for this fic.**

**A/N2: Hmm, I'm not sure if this could actually happen (though I'd pay to see CBS put something like this on screen) because I think I made Aiden way too sweet. But then again, she always does show a softer side toward Danny… Well, I've already got an idea for my next installment, but I want to know what you think.**


	3. In the Crowded NY Subway

**Summary: Even without words, Danny and Aiden could still communicate with each other. The pair was forced into an intimate moment as they went home via the crowded NY subway system.**

**Pairing: Danny/Aiden (current obsession, haha).**

**Disclaimer: CBS, Anthony Zuiker, Jerry Bruckheimer, and several other creators/producers of CSI own the characters and setting of CSI: NY. I thank them everyday for creating Danny and Aiden, as well as casting Carmine and Vanessa to those parts, because their chemistry makes my job easy. I thank NYC as well, for being a wonderful city and a willing backdrop for my story.**

**A/N: I've decided that even if the chapters are not related, they do follow a chronological order. So it is a good idea to read the chapters in order, just so you can feel the progression of D/A's relationship.**

Danny sat on the bench of the locker room at the end of shift and tied his shoes. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw his partner Aiden came in and leaned herself against the door frame. He noticed that she was already wearing her jacket and had picked up her purse from her locker, all ready to go.

She grinned at him and pulled out a train ticket, waving it in the air and nudging her head in the direction behind her, signaling him to get a move on. Earlier today, the pair had agreed to take the train home together.

Danny smiled back at her and finished what he was doing. He took out his coat and put it on, standing in front of his locker trying to remember what he needed to bring home.

After about thirty seconds, he heard Aiden tapping her boot impatiently. Not taking his gaze off his locker, he raised a finger at her, signaling her to hold on. Without even looking at her, he knew that she'd give him her famous pout and would start pointing her watch incessantly at him … which was exactly what she did.

Suppressing a chuckle, Danny deliberately took his time, patting his coat pockets to make sure he'd gotten his keys, wallet, and train ticket. He finally remembered to take his case folder from the top shelf of his locker. Certain that he'd taken everything, Danny shouldered his bag and slammed his locker door shut.

Aiden rolled her eyes at him, turned around with both hands in her jacket pockets, and walked out, making him jog up to her.

It was a short walk to the subway station, which turned out to be quite crowded by virtue of it being a Friday afternoon. As they boarded the train, Danny placed a hand on the small of her back, making sure he wouldn't lose her in the crowd.

Inside, they couldn't get a seat, but had at least those overhead bars to hold on to. They didn't say anything to each other because the crowded atmosphere of the train would drown their voices anyway.

So they stood facing each other, silently observing the people around them, their CSI eyes picking up things others wouldn't have. A tall blonde woman to Aiden's left was trying, very discretely, but unsuccessfully to – for lack of better word – 'unpick' a wedgie. She kept bringing one shopping-bag-laden hand near her buttocks area in attempt to, uh, 'get the job done', but, by the frustrated look on her face, it was obvious that she kept failing. In front of the woman sat an acne-ridden man, who, having just sneezed, was wiping his hand on the bottom of his seat and then going back to his sandwich without a care in the world. The old lady next to him pretended not to notice, but scooted an inch away from him.

Danny and Aiden met each other's eyes and suppressed a chuckle. People could be really gross sometimes.

A lot more people came in by the next stop, pushing Danny and Aiden into the nook of an unused door. By now, the compartment was full to bursting point, forcing the pair to stand _that_ much closer to each other. Not wanting to lean on the door behind her and having nothing else to hang on to, Aiden grabbed hold of the fronts of Danny's coat.

The sudden movement of the train caused Danny to lose his balance, pretty much pinning Aiden against the door with his body. She winced as her back and head bumped against the door. He smiled apologetically at her and steadied himself by placing one hand on the glass partition beside him.

As the train made another fast, sharp turn, Danny felt Aiden tightening her grip on his coat, consequently pulling him towards her. She groaned as her fingers were crushed underneath Danny's body and her head made contact with the door once more.

Danny gave her a concerned look and instinctively brought his free hand to the back of her head, lightly caressing the contact point. He then brought that hand down to the small of her back, clearly intending to support her from crashing to the door again with the next turn. Without realizing it, his action had pulled her body even closer to his.

Not eager to get her hands crushed again, Aiden instinctively sneaked her hands inside his coat and grabbed hold of his shirt, holding on to him by the sides of his body. She knew that Danny wasn't ticklish.

They were practically hugging now, the fronts of their bodies completely melded to each other. But, realizing that this was perhaps the safest position to keep them from losing their balance, neither said anything to each other.

Because Aiden was only slightly shorter than Danny, her head came right next to his, resting just over his left shoulder. She trained her gaze to the scene in front her, and behind Danny, refusing to let her mind wonder. Her usually good concentration was interrupted, however, by the very pleasant scent wafting through her nostrils.

Danny.

He smelled REALLY GOOD. Like a mixture of fresh rain, mint, and soap. Not overly strong, but enough to make him feel 'clean'. It was so like him to have a shower before finishing up at work. It was not rare, after all, that he went straight to a hot date afterwards. Aiden wondered whether Danny had such a date tonight. He told her earlier that he was just going to get a pizza and relax in front of the tube… but why would he need to shower then?

Realizing that her mind had wondered off to 'unnecessary' territories, Aiden suddenly felt very hot. She wanted to curse Danny for the warmth his body was emitting, but was at the same time grateful that she didn't have to look at him with what she was sure to be her very flushed face.

So she stared at the Canadian emblem on the backpack of the man standing behind Danny, trying not to think of what she'd like to do with a bottle of maple syrup right now.

Danny, meanwhile, was not completely zippity-doo-dah carefree about his predicament. Seemingly on the same wavelength as Aiden, he too tried to fix his gaze at the door behind her.

Unfortunately he was also very much aware of Aiden's hair brushing up against his left jaw. It was much softer than he ever thought possible and Aiden didn't look like the type that would spend money on expensive hair products. He supposed she might just have nice hair.

Funny how he _just_ noticed that.

Actually, now that he thought about it, he was sure that her hair looked so much _nicer_ today. And _she _looked much nicer too. He wondered if she had a hot date tonight. She'd told him today, with much bitching and moaning, that she _had_ to clean her apartment tonight… but why would she need to look real good then?

And her scent! She must be wearing a new perfume or something, because Danny never recalled Aiden smelling _this_ good. Her hair smelled like that nice scent you got from fresh laundries. Without thinking, he moved his head closer to smell her hair.

Aiden was startled when she felt Danny… sniffing her hair? Instinctively she turned her head to look at him. Startled by her sudden movement, Danny also turned _his_ head to look at her.

The pair ended up face-to-face with barely a space between them. To the average on-looker they might look like one of those annoying couples who would make-out on public transports to kill time. But neither Danny nor Aiden was aware of such on-looker because their gazes were still very much fixed on each other.

Feeling like their surroundings had suddenly gone quiet, they looked at each other's eyes. Aiden's cheeks had this slight tinge of pink, which Danny never saw. Without a word, their gazes lowered to each other's lips. Unconsciously, Danny slid his hand up her back and Aiden tightened her grip on the sides of his body, their breathing becoming in tune with each other.

Their faces grew closer…

One eternity…

Two eternity…

Three…

The train abruptly stopped, literally jerking the pair out of their reverie. The overhead speaker announced their stop.

Danny and Aiden looked up at each other, the sounds of people exiting behind them suddenly becoming audible again. They stayed in their rather 'intimate' position for a moment before drawing apart, both releasing their holds on each other. Then with a smirk, Danny turned around and walked towards the door, but not before he grabbed Aiden's hand to make sure they wouldn't get separated in the crowd. Aiden couldn't suppress a smile at this.

Outside, on the sidewalk, they put somewhat of a distance between them as they strolled in the crisp New York afternoon.

They never noticed that, as they walked, they fell in step with each other.

**A/N: First of all, congratulations and thank you for reading until the end, y'know, considering this was a longer, dialogue-free chapter. Second of all, thank you again for your kind reviews. They really do motivate me to write quickly. I'm glad that you enjoyed my sweeter take on Aiden and my dialogue-free concept. I figure that, hopefully, I can write tones of these tiny moments because they're so tiny. And they'd have to be tiny because it's unlikely that two people would do everything without talking to each other. But, yeah, the excellent chemistry between Danny and Aiden just practically writes itself, really.**

**A/N2: I was thinking of changing the title to 'Silent Connection' or 'Silence' or something like that. What do you all think?**

**A/N3: I was actually almost finished with this chapter two days ago, but I'd been caught up with the TalkCSI forum. You see I've just been made a moderator in their new shipper forum. They have a Danny/Aiden section there, which oddly isn't getting much traffic. Huh, that's really confusing, considering D/A has by far the most numerous fics. Anyway (shamelessplug) why don't you check it out or say 'hi'. We're real friendly ;-)**


End file.
